Empire hires new sales staff

Wright, a long-time Juneauite, is a veteran in the newspaper industry. A graduate from University of Alaska Southeast, she worked for the Capital City Weekly on three occasions, most recently as its sales manager in 2009. She was working in radio, where she also has an extensive sales background.

Karen comes to the Empire with many years of experience selling print and radio advertising and has an great grasp of the Juneau business environment and will be instrumental in helping us grow our client base," Empire Publisher Mark Bryan said. "I consider us to be very fortunate to bring Karen to the team."

Wright said as the new sales manager, her goal is to build a sales staff that can always take care of customers' needs.

"My philosophy is that when you take care of the customers and do the right things, the rest of it follows," she said. "We're really looking forward to continue working with Juneau businesses, and to building a strong sales staff here at the Empire who are all about making sure the customers' needs are met.

"That's really what is most important - helping to grow their business."

Wright pursued a career in sales and marketing starting at a young age at one of her first jobs.

"I've worked in marketing and advertising in one way or the other, off and on since I was 14 years old," she said. "That's really what got me interested in marketing and selling. It was my first actual sales job.

Joining Wright as a part of the sales team is new advertising representative Jessica Eller. Eller, originally from Homer, is a 2010 graduate from the UAS with a degree in English. She previously worked as a fisheries technician around Alaska and as a guide for Alaska Zipline Adventures.

"April was a good month because we not only hired Karen but we also hired Jess Eller to the sales team," Bryan said. "She has a sincere desire to help businesses grow and increase their market share. She has been a breath of fresh air with her eagerness and ideas of how we can try new things."